


Nekoma's New Manager?

by NerdTree



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon - Anime, F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15001868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdTree/pseuds/NerdTree
Summary: Being in the same class as Kenma...and being his seat partner was only the beginning of this story.





	1. ~Unusual?~

(Y/n), a second year at Nekoma High School hadn't even considered serious sports becoming part of her life again. She just wanted to go to school, get the day over with (bonus if there was no homework), and go home to play games or watch anime.

It was her first day as a second year, and (y/n) walked over to the notice board to find her name. Class 2-1. Somehow, she managed to find her way through all the tall, boisterous first and third years to find her classroom. There was only one person in there at the moment, and they were playing a game, so she respectfully ignored them and went to get her timetable and find her seat number. Of course, she was next to the only other person in the room.

 _Why, of course this has to happen to me. The most awkward of things. Oh well, just go and sit down, pull out your phone and no conversation will need to be made,_ she thought to herself, already walking over. She noticed that her seat partner had black hair, that had been dyed a while ago. Sitting down, she pulled out her phone, her plan going perfectly so far.

"Are you ok?" a quiet voice asked from next to her, causing her to jump a little.

"Um, yes. I'm fine," she replied. "(L/n), (l/n) (f/n)," she blurted out. It was now the male's turn to be surprised as he looked up from his game, gold eyes meeting her own (e/c) eyes.

"Kozume, Kozume Kenma," he mumbled in reply. She smiled, nodding. A few more people started arriving, and sitting in their designated seats. Finally, it was time for the day to begin. It was only an orientation day, for them to get used to their new positions in the school.

"Right, finally, before you all leave, we have to decide on class reps. Of course, the obvious choice would be to go with the two with the highest scores in the class, Kozume-san, and (l/n)-san < **Shh, you're going to be clever now >** but that's for you to decide. Any objections?" the teacher asked. No one said anything. "Good. Then I'll put your name's down." The bell rang a moment later, and everyone ran out of the class.

"I'm guessing you don't really want to be class rep, do you?" (y/n) asked Kenma, who was putting his game and books away.

"I'm not really bothered. I just don't want to talk in front of people," he replied. She blinked.

 _This guy isn't as anisocial as he let's on...is he?_ the girl thought to herself. She opened her mouth to reply when a new voice cut through the still air in the room.

"Kenma! You're coming to volleyball practice, right?" Stood at the door was someone that nearly made the female scoff. His hair was everywhere and it looked like he had just got out of bed without doing anything to it.

"Yeah. I was just talking to (l/n)-san about class rep," Kenma replied. The bed haired third year at the door shifted his attention to who Kenma was talking about.

"Ah, I'm Kuroo Tetsurou. You're Kenma's seat partner?" he asked. (Y/n) just nodded, unsure of what to say. "Then please excuse his antisocial behaviour. He doesn't particularly like anything but games," Kuroo apologised to her.

"Um, it's ok..?" she replied, not really sure what to say. As the two walked away, she overheard the third year talking.

"Damn Kenma, I'm jealous you get to sit next to someone pretty  _and_ polite," Kuroo teased.

"Shut up Kuro. (L/n)-san isn't very talkative. You probably scared her," Kenma replied bluntly.


	2. ~Volleyball~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First practice of the year...and they want a manager?

Yes, they had practice on the first day back. Talk about serious. After getting changed, Kenma and Kuroo walked into the volleyball gym with their trainers on.

"I'm surprised you got him to come back after last year's third years," Yaku said to Kuroo.

"Well, I'm captain now. Any bullying Kenma is not allowed," he said to them all. "Anyway, new first years, introduce yourselves." Inuoka, Lev and a couple of others introduced themselves enthusiastically, making Kenma cringe. Yamamoto laughed.

"You really hate putting effort into anything at all, don't you?" he asked the setter, who shrugged.

"It's not effort. It's enthusiasm about something to the extent that it doesn't make sense," he replied. Nekomata arrived and clapped his hands, signalling for the boys to gather round.

"So we're going to play some 3v3 games to test out the first years..." he told them, and set up the teams. An hour of practice turned into two, and finally, the coach called it to an end. As they tidied up, Kuroo spoke to the coach.

"What do you think?" Kuroo asked them.

"They have potential. I don't think Nekoma will be going down the drain. A couple of them could use work, but other than that, I think we've got a good bunch this year,"Nekomata praised, "However, we are still lacking a manager. We can normally do the work, however it would be useful to have another student that can step in if we can't." Kuroo thought about it, before a small smirk came over his face.

"A second year would be best, right?" he asked, "Since they're not new, and they aren't working towards entrance exams."

"You have someone in mind?" Naoi asked him.

"We'll see. I'll let you know tomorrow if I think we can get the person I'm thinking of to join in," Kuroo said to them, before going to help finish over tidying up.

* * *

Kuroo and Kenma were walking home after going to the local shop, both being quiet - too quiet.

"Kuro? Why are you being so quiet?" Kenma asked, not being able to take the awkward silence. The volleyball captain still had a small smirk on his face. "Uh oh," Kenma mumbled quietly.

"I'm just thinking about which second years we can ask to be our manager," he sighed. Kenma instantly knew what he was trying to do, and turned back to his game, wishing he hadn't asked his original question. "Got any ideas, Kenma?" Kuroo asked.

"No," he replied bluntly, golden eyes glued to the game in front of him, internally begging for Kuroo to not say it.

"How about your seat mate...(l/n) was it?" Kuroo asked, hazel eyes glinting.

"No," Kenma repeated, even more blunt than previously. By now, the smirk on Kuroo's face had reached maximum capacity.

"Come on. I'm being serious here. We need a manager, and she seems nice enough," Kuroo explained himself. Kenma extracted himself from his game to look up at his 'friend'.

"We don't even know if she likes sport, never mind anything about volleyball," Kenma said, breaking Kuroo's argument.

"That's exactly why we'll ask her tomorrow before school. I mean, we do have practice like every day," Kuroo grinned at his ingenious plan. Kenma just sighed.

"Do what you want," he replied, returning to his game. The two got home and were asleep before their heads hit the pillow after a long first day back at school.

 

 

 


	3. ~Good Choice~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo causes a lost memory to surface again and Kenma is...sorry?

(Y/n) arrived at school early as usual, since there was only one train for her to get to school on time in a morning, and who really wants to arrive among the swarms of people who arrive 'on time'. She sat down at her desk, putting her bag down by the side of her desk and face planted the desk, a giant sigh echoing in the all but silent room.

_I could just sleep here and now if school didn't start and I was afraid someone was going to walk in,_ she thought, her voice even slurring in her head. A moment later, the door opened and Kenma walked in.

"Good morni-" (y/n) started, but was cut off by the same third year as yesterday.

"Good morning (l/n)-san!" Kuroo said a little  _too_ cheerfully.

"Kuroo-senpai," she greeted politely, before noticing the pretty negative aura around Kenma.

"Is everything ok, Kozume-san?" she asked. He landed in his seat and sighed.

"I'm sorry for everything that is about to happen (l/n)-san," he said. Alarmed, the girl looked at Kuroo, eyes searching for some sort of answer, but all she got was a smirk, to which she basically recoiled from.

"Kuroo-senpai, do you know what he's on about?" she asked, nervously.

"No idea (l/n)-san," he said, the  _too_ cheerful voice not leaving. "I do have something to ask you though." She couldn't deny that what the third year had said peaked her curiosity, but she was still cautious after what Kenma had said.

"What is it?" she asked slowly, as though mulling the words over in her mouth.

"Have you ever played or watched a volleyball game?" he asked. The female's stomach lurched as she remembered something that she had wanted to bury deeply. Noticing two pairs of cat-like eyes on her, she nodded.

"Yeah, I used to watch it all the time on TV," she told the third year. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Kenma here and I are on the school volleyball team, and we're looking for a manager," Kuroo stated nonchalantly. (Y/n) blinked in surprise.

_I'm getting a bad feeling here,_ she thought to herself.

"Do you want help looking for one?" she asked, hoping that her hunch was wrong. Kuroo turned the chair on the desk in front of her round and sat on it, facing her, looking like he was prepared to stay for good.

"I think I've already found one. Say, (l/n)-san, would you do it?" he asked. She sighed deeply, before opening her mouth to reply. "And I won't take not for an answer," Kuroo finished, cutting her off before she'd even started.

"You're asking the wrong person, Kuroo-senpai. I believe that there are a million people more qualified than me to do that job, and even if there wasn't, I'm afraid I'd have to decline," she said, (e/c) eyes narrowing a little.

"Well, I have to hand it to you, you didn't say no, but I won't let up that easily. Something tells me you'd be a very good choice for a manager," Kuroo said, seriously. Silence fell over them, and only then had (y/n) realised that nearly all her class had arrived. The bell rang, and Kuroo stood up suddenly. "Well, I'll see you at break, Kenma, (l/n)-san!" he called, walking off to his class.

The (h/c) female couldn't focus on any of her lessons all morning. Kuroo's words kept repeating in her head.  _"Have you ever played or watched a volleyball game?" ... "Something tells me you'd be a very good choice."_ Before she knew it, she was daydreaming, remembering another time, in a different place.


	4. ~Flashback~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute, little (y/n) and her fond childhood, with a surprise at her old friend.

A 7 year old (y/n) stood hiding behind her mother, watching the other children her age run around, laughing. She was a young persons volleyball daycare in the holidays while her parents worked.

"Alright, darling, I want you to try your best, ok? But most importantly, have fun. I'll be back in a few hours to come and get you," her mother said, waving at her. She now hid behind the coach, being quite shy, and unsure.

"(Y/n)? That's a very nice name you've got there. I'm sure you'll love it here. Look at the other children. Don't they look like they're having fun?" the coach asked. She nodded, but shrank behind him still. She watched as a couple of the older children, around her age did a proper volleyball set-up, and spiked it over. She watched in awe.

"Wow..." she whispered. The coach chuckled, and looked over at what she was looking at, before crouching down to her level.

"Do you want to join in?" he asked. She nodded. "But you're too shy?" She nodded again. "Oikawa!" the coach called, and the boy who had tossed the set-up ran over. "This is (y/n), and she want's to join in, but she's a little shy. Show her to ropes?" the coach asked and he grinned upwards nodded.

"YESSIR!" he yelled happily, taking the girl's hand. "My name's Oikawa Tooru. I'm 8 years old," he introduced himself, as he pulled her over to the ball basket.

"...(y/n)...I'm 7..." she mumbled. He pulled out a ball and threw it to her.

" **Have you ever watched a game of volleyball**?" he asked. She nodded.

"I watch it with papa," she told him. He grinned, and they began talking about volleyball and the different positions. Before long, they were in disagreement about the best position.

"The setter is so cool! You set up all the attacks and everything!" Tooru grinned.

"What?! Nooo, the spikers and blockers are amazing! The feel of slamming the ball down must be amazing!" (y/n) replied. They both grinned, giggling, before starting to build up skills.

* * *

Every weekend, (y/n) would go to the training camp with the young Oikawa. They moved to the advanced group, and were partnered up with a younger Iwaizumi. The three of them worked together amazingly. It was only once they got to middle school that it started. Oikawa wouldn't toss to her, and the two boys wouldn't talk to her, and when she asked why, Oikawa replied with something she would never forget,

"You're a girl. We can't play with you,"

She stopped going to the camp over time, and stopped playing volleyball with people, preferring just to hold the ball and mess about a bit in her room. In first year of high school she was asked to join the volleyball team since she was tall, but she declined, not wanting to feel weak, just because she was a girl...

 

 


	5. ~Please~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to present day, and Kuroo is a persistent guy...

The bell rang for lunch, and Kenma looked over to his seat mate to see her with a frown on her face. From what he'd seen of her this year and last year, she was normally quite amiable. He had most certainly never seen a frown on her face. She sat back and visibly relaxed.

_It was just a daydream. You can forget about that past,_ she thought to herself, before hearing her name being called. Kuroo, again.

"(L/n)~ I'm back. Did you miss me?" Kuroo asked. She just groaned.

"Not particularly Kuroo-senpai. I only just met you yesterday," she replied, still trying to regain her composure.

"Have you thought about what I asked?" he asked. She sighed.

"Why do you want me to be the manager so badly?" she responded, sitting back in her chair.

"Well, you're clever, you know about volleyball, and you're not in any clubs at the moment. Plus, if the rumors are true, you're a mean strategist," he told her.

"Rumors?" she asked.

"Oh, there's only one. That you used to play volleyball when you were younger, and that you were really good for your age, but mainly because you used mean strategies and worked around your opponent," Kuroo explained. She sighed once again.

"Look, I don't know who or where you've got these rumors from, but they're all wrong. Yes, I played when I was younger, and yes, we used to win our matches a lot, but that was most certainly  _not_ because of me," she told him,  _because I'm a girl,_ she added in her head, before walking away to the cafeteria.

* * *

After school, (y/n) was about to walk through the gates when she heard the sound of a volleyball being spiked. It sent a little shiver up her spine, as she remembered how it felt to spike a volleyball. Against her mind's protests, her legs started carrying her over to the gym. She looked through the door to watch Kuroo and Kenma do their time delay attack. The ball came flying out the door, and out of pure instinct, the female jumped and grabbed the ball with one hand.

"(Y/n)? I thought you weren't going to come," Kuroo admitted, walked over. She just deadpanned him.

"I wasn't going to, and I'm not going to. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, handing the ball back to him, before walking away.

"Please?" a familiar voice asked from behind her, causing her to stop in her tracks and look back at him.

"What did you say?" she asked, genuinely surprised and taken aback.

" _Please_ will you be our manager?" Kuroo asked. She grit her teeth together, her mind wavering. _I can't believe I'm getting drawn back in..._ she thought to herself, seriously debating whether to say yes or not. "(Y/n)?" he asked.

"Only if it gets you off my back," she replied, "And this is a trial, to see if I can deal with you and your...stubbornness," she finished. A wide grin appeared on his face and the two walked into the gym, (y/n) taking off her outdoor shoes.

"Oi, I got us a manager," he called to the team. (Y/n) grumbled.

" _Trial_ manager," she corrected him, and walked over to the coaches to introduce herself.

 


	6. ~Nekomata helps out?~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volleyball is like a black hole. Once you've been drawn in, you'll never get out...

After getting changed into her sportswear, (y/n) spoke to the coaches.

"(L/n) (f/n). I'm here to trial the manager position," the girl introduced herself too Nekomata and Naoi. Kuroo walked over from talking to Kenma, a large smirk plastered over his face.

"I assume you know the captain," Nekomata said, "So we'll skip introductions and get down to business. Even if this is a trial, for both you and us, you'll have to work your hardest."

"I wouldn't do anything different, sir," she replied. The younger coach handed her a notebook, and she opened the first cover. "Rundown of the players and their strengths, yes? Do you want me to add anything I notice in pencil?"

"That would be ideal, yes, but in practice it's more of the trivial things," Naoi told her.

"Like if I see any habits that could spring up and bite us in the backside?" she asked.

"I see you found an experienced volleyball player to help us out," Nekomata said to Kuroo. The captain sighed.

"She won't admit it, but she can play, and pretty darn well. She probably doesn't remember that I went to the same training camp as her for a weekend. I think something happened to make her so reluctant to want to help," he told the elder coach.

Practice that evening was mainly made up of training drills for each type of player separately. Kenma and the new first year setter practiced the accuracy of their tosses, while the wing spikers and middle blockers practiced a variety of things in rotation. Yaku and the new libero practiced receiving any of the spikes sent at them. On the sidelines, (y/n) sat with the notebook in front of her, reading about the players, understanding their style of play, and what type of people they were. Around half way through the drills, she spoke to coach Nekomata.

"Um, sir?" she asked, a little unsure.

"(L/n) what is it?" he asked, surprised that she'd taken the initiative to speak first.

"A couple of things that I noticed. I don't know if you already know though," she said.

"Go ahead. A pair of fresh eyes is always good for a team. Especially ones with experience," he smiled. She flinched when he'd said she had experience, but began to speak anyway.

"I noticed that Kozume-san doesn't have the strongest first step to get under the ball. For his style of play and what I've read, that makes sense, but even so, it's kind of weak even for that style. Also, this is irrelevant, but your third year libero...Yaku-san? His trainers are almost too worn down. He's likely to injure himself if he doesn't get new ones soon," she said, all while looking at the floor.

"You know, (l/n), your observational skills are on par with scouts from colleges. It would be a real shame if you didn't continue on as manager," Nekomata said.

"Thank you sir, but this trial for me isn't about whether I'm skilled enough to do it or not," she told him.

"Bad experience?" he asked her, indicating for her to sit on the bench.

"You could say that..." she replied nervously.

"The thing about bad experiences, is that it's still experience. I'm guessing you got benched for good?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. It sounds pretty pathetic when I think about it. Two of my closest friends used to train with me, ditched me because I was a girl, and apparently they thought I was weak," she explained.

_God, I sound so pathetic putting it like that,_ she scolded herself mentally, expecting the coach next to her to laugh.

"You should join the girl's volleyball team then," he said straight. She nearly fell off the bench.

"I couldn't do that! I'd just bring them down!" she instantly replied, almost panicking. He did laugh then.

"Well maybe you should first remember what it's like to be tossed to. After practice today, I'll get Kuroo and Kenma to give you a hand," he told her. She tried to get out of it, but he just waved her off, and she accepted her fate, subconsciously thinking it might not be such a bad thing.


	7. ~I remember~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen when you remember what it felt like?

At the end of practice, all the nets, apart from one were taken down, and everyone began to pack away.

"So, (l/n)-san, what did you think?" Kuroo asked, making the female jump away from him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that! It was alright, I guess. Coach Nekomata is a good coach for you guys," she said, a little nervous. Kenma walked over at that point, preventing any more awkwardness.

"If you're going to so any spikes, can we do it sooner than later...I kind of want to go home," he said quietly. (Y/n) was surprised.

"Well, uh, about that, I-" she started, before getting cut off by Kuroo.

"You heard him (l/n)-san, he wants to get this over with quickly. That means you need to do a quick attack," Kuroo said. Her eyes widened as she backed away.

"Nonono. I couldn't do a quick on first attempt," she told Kuroo. He appeared behind her and pushed her lightly towards the net. She sighed.

 _Well, I guess there is no getting out of this one,_ she thought, resigning herself to volleyball, once again. She picked up a ball, and bounced it once, before turning to the two boys.

"Mind if I serve to warm up?" she asked. They shook their heads, and she threw the ball up, before running and jumping.

 _That serve toss felt alright. It won't be some amazing serve, but it'll be ok,_ she thought to herself, before cupping the back of the ball with her dominant hand and sending it flying over the net. It was in, and was pretty accurate. She rolled her shoulder, forgetting the strain that serving came with.

"Ok. I think I'm rea-" she started, before noticing the look on Kuroo and Kenma's faces. "What?" she asked.

"I mean, we were just expecting you to do an ordinary serve..." Kuroo said, surprise written all over his face. "That was amazing." The female went a little pink, looking away.

"Whatever...Kozume-san, could you toss to me now?" (y/n) asked him. Kuroo picked the ball up and threw it to the setter for him to toss. (Y/n) ran forward, memories and experiences fluttering through her mind as she did. She watched the toss closely, altering her course to it's trajectory, before jumping, arching her back and snapping everything in her body straight, giving the ball extra power as it slammed against the floor on the opposite side of the net. She landed and looked at her hand, the faint pink sting sending waves of nostalgia through her.

"I remember..." she mumbled, before looking up at Kuroo who was now stood in front of her.

"I don't know what happened, and I don't really care to know unless you want to tell me, but I was right when I said I thought you'd be perfect for the manager position," he told her, actually being serious for once. She looked back at her hand, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"You were both right and wrong, Kuroo-senpai-" 

"Just Kuroo is fine," he interjected.

"Right, Kuroo...san. You were both right and wrong. I can do the manager's job, but you've put me in a position where I'll want to play constantly, so in that regard, it was cruel of you to recommend me to be manager," she told him, looking up once again, a mischievous glint now apparent in her (e/c) eyes. A smirk appeared on his face, and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just because your the manager doesn't mean you can't help and join in every once in a while," he told her seriously. She turned to Kenma.

"Thank you for the great toss, Kozume-san," she thanked him.

"If you're going to be the manager, just call me Kenma. Everyone else does," he said quietly, walking over to his bags.

 _I remember. This is what it is like to have a volleyball family. I think I'll enjoy this, as torturous as it will be,_ she thought to herself, taking down the other side of the net, opposite Kuroo.


	8. ~Kara-what?~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guessed it. It's time to train for the practice game against Karasuno.

That night, (y/n) went home and told her mother about joining the volleyball team as their manager.

"That's great! I thought you'd lost your love for the sport. What happened?" she asked.

"An extremely persistent third year," (y/n) grumbled in response. Her mother laughed, and ruffled her hair.

"Even if it is just being a manager, I'm sure you'll do great!" she said. (Y/n) nodded and walked upstairs with a slice of toast in her mouth and her bags. When she got in her room, she sighed, and flopped onto her bed, eating the food.

_Well, it's time to get back into the swing of things,_ she thought, before pulling out her homework, and sitting at her desk. It was dark by the time she'd finished, and she checked her phone before putting it on charge.

**1 NEW MESSAGE**

**Yo~ it's your amazing senpai here. I forgot to tell you when we practice. It's every day apart from Wednesdays, and we do Saturday practice too.**

The female sighed and led on her bed.

**Kuroo-san, how did you get my phone number?**

She hit send, thinking back to when he could have done something devious as to get her phone number, although, she didn't know why she was thinking about it so hard. From Kenma's reactions, she knew that this type of behavior was somewhat normal for the third year.

**That's not important (l/n) =^.^= I just need to know if you can come  
to practice on those days.**

**I'll tell you that, if you tell me where you got my number from. I don't** **really  
** **feel like dealing with someone leaking my phone number about the place.**

**It was on the school system. Have you never heard of looking things up?**  
**Really? Anyway, I got coach to give me it so I could ask you. Oh, Kenma**  
 **also has it too.**

 

Rolling onto her stomach, the girl groaned into her pillow, wondering how she could have gotten herself involved in something without thinking it through properly first, but she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face as she replied.

**Yes, I can go to practice on those days. And at least warn me if you're going  
** **to give someone my phone number. =.=**

**Good! See you Thursday then!**

* * *

Thursday came all too soon, and (y/n) found herself in front of the gym, once again wondering how she had got herself roped into something like this. After getting changed she walked into the gym, and found herself introducing herself to the team. Yamamoto was crying with happiness, but she just ignored that, as she was told to by Yaku, Kenma, Kuroo, and the rest of the team.

"Ok, gather round. Now you've met our new manager, I have an announcement. We will be having a weekend full of practice games, starting next Friday, and on the Sunday, we'll be playing an old rival - Karasuno," Nekomata told them. "Now, get practicing. We still have to decide who's going to be on our starting line up."


	9. ~The Line Up~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain, managers and coaches get together to decide on the line up.

(Y/n) sat next to the coaches, racking her brains for formations - both attacking and defensive. She had a pained look on her face, as though she couldn't decide. During the break, Kuroo and Yaku were the ones that walked over.

"You know, you look constipated with that look on your face," the captain commented. The female just ignored him and looked down at the notebook she had been writing in.

"Whatever Kuroo-san. I'm trying to help you out here, but if you insist on making rude comments I guess I'll just sit back and relax," she rebuked. He was surprised at her response, and didn't recover quick enough.

"Cat got your tongue, Kuroo?" Yaku asked playfully. The bed head captain scoffed.

"As if. I just wasn't expecting such a comment off little (l/n) here. From what I've heard, she's supposed to be an angel in class - helping the teachers out and diligently doing her job as class rep," he teased. (Y/n) didn't even react. She'd gotten used to his comments over the past two days, and just rolled her eyes. Yaku just chuckled and walked off. "Why did you have that look on your face?" Kuroo asked her.

"I'm just thinking about the initial line-up. What gives you guys the most flexibility for attacks and defense. It's just been a while since I had to think so hard. The patterns of attack are easy to figure out. It's what gives you the best defense to any kind of attack. That's the difficult part - balancing it," she told him, looking down at the tens of sketches she'd done at the back of the book.

"You've really thought this through huh? Well afterwards, the coaches want to talk to us about the line-up, so don't go anywhere," he told her, before going back to practice after the break.

_Yeah like I could escape anyway,_ she thought, scoffing to herself.

* * *

"Good job guys! Make sure you're here for tomorrow's all day practice!" Kuroo said to them all, and they left, grabbing their bags, and talking to each other about whatever they were going to do on Sunday.

"(L/n)? You coming?" Kuroo asked, and she followed him into the office, where Naoi and Nekomata already were. They were both looking at their respective notebooks when the two students walked in.

"Oh, good, you're here. We have a provisional idea as to the line-up, but we'd like your input," Naoi told them. They sat down at the table as they drew up their idea. The two student's started talking at the same time.

"Go ahead. You're the one who's been thinking about this for the past hour," Kuroo told her. She chuckled.

"Let me correct you there. Past 15 hours...solid. But anyway, you're proposing putting Lev in this time. His defense is unreliable. Sure, his attacks are strong...when they work, but Inuoka would be the more preferable choice. He's more well-rounded, and your objective is to keep the ball in the air, yes? Inuoka's receives are at 75%, while Lev's are only at 50%," (y/n) suggested.

"I agree. I think Inuoka would be better in this case. When Yaku has sorted out Lev's receives, then it would be better to put him in, but as off now, Inuoka is the better option," Kuroo agreed. The coaches glanced at each other.

"We haven't really seen Inuoka play much, since he doesn't stand out at all," Naoi admitted.

"That's exactly another reason why you should put him in. He's a good all rounder," (y/n) pointed out. After another 30 minutes of planning and reviewing everything, the two students were freed from the office.

"Whew, that was tedious," (y/n) sighed, stretching. Kuroo just chuckled as they grabbed their bags and they left the gym. It was nearly dark.

"Hey, (l/n) which way you headed?" Kuroo asked.

"The train station, to go north 4 stops," she told him.

"I get the same train," he told her, and they started walking to the train station in silence.

"You normally walk with Kenma, don't you?" (y/n) asked the tall male next to her.

"Yeah, how did you know?" he asked.

"He doesn't talk much, and you seemed like you were just used to that," she observed. He smirked.

"Well he certainly doesn't initiate conversations. How about you (l/n), do you walk home with anyone?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I prefer my own company. All my old friends go to Aoba Johsai anyway. I only moved out here for high school," she told him. He was surprised that she actually told him something, since she seemed the sort to keep her cards close to her chest.

"So you'd know people like Oikawa?" he asked. She scowled.

"Unfortunately, yes. I do know people  _like_ Oikawa," she almost hissed. Kuroo held his hands up.

"Woah I wasn't prying or anything. It was just a question!" he chuckled at her. She seemed to be grumbling to herself internally.

_She really is like a cat. Not wanting attention for anything and lashing out quite easily at things that irritate her,_ he thought to himself, chuckling.

"Sorry. It's just he's one of the reasons I was reluctant to join the volleyball club again," she told him, and went on to explain what had happened in her past.

 


	10. ~Stalker?~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Kuroo get the train back home after a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this on my phone in Greece. Sorry for the errors and thank you for reading. Any comments for constructive criticism is welcome <3

They boarded the train in silence, Kuroo taking in what the female had told him. He opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

"I know it's pathetic. I should've just got over it already," she told him, sitting down and looking away. He sat next to her and sighed, glad to be sat down after practice. (Y/n) was fully expecting Kuroo to tease her about it, and he could tell that, but when he spoke, he surprised himself at how rational and serious he sounded.

"I don't think that. The fact that you've come back now is enough to prove that you haven't run away," he told her. (Y/n)'s head turned so quickly to look at the older male, a small smile on her face.

"I was dragged back, kicking and screaming the whole way, by some third year with a crazy laugh and bed hair," she replied. Kuroo chuckled.

"Someone's got their sense of humour back," he teased and she flashed a grin, before hearing her stop being called on the speaker.

"This is my stop," he told her and she blinked in surprise.

"You live near here?" she asked.

"Yeah I catch the same train as you every morning, but you're always in your own little world," he chuckled. She flushed red with embarrassment.

"Sorry..." (y/n) mumbled, stepping off the train, before turning to him, "But why would you not say anything?" she asked.  
Kuroo was not about to tell her that she looked peaceful and adorable when she was staring off into space. No, that would make him look like a creep.

"You look like you want space on a morning. I just respected that," he replied, slightly evading the truth. She shrugged and they walked out of the station.

"Where do you live then Kuroo-san?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow suggestively as though she was a stalker and she made a noise of exasperation before walking off.

"Wait, (l/n)! I was kidding!" he called after her, following her. It was dark now, so Kuroo offered to walk the female home. She grinned in retaliation.

"So you can find out where I live?" she asked, chuckling, "Of course you can. Come on," she finished before the third year could protest against her original comment.  
  
It turns out they only lived 4 streets apart, and that made (y/n) feel vaguely uncomfortable, as she had a gut feeling the male was plotting something as they said goodbyes. (Y/n) went inside and her mother was waiting with dinner.

"So, darling, who was that?" she asked.

"Oh come on. You were stalking me? That's the persistent, stubborn, irritating, talented captain of the volleyball team third year that somehow persuaded me to be the manager," she told her mother.

 _Oh no. I'm so gonna get teased for this. By everyone,_ she thought to herself before going up to her room to do her homework and finally sleep after the long day.


	11. ~Karasuno?~

Saturday morning, and (y/n) woke up to her phone ringing at 7am. Groaning she rolled over and squinted at the bright screen. Kenma flashed on the screen. She answered it and put it on her ear, not having any effort to hold it.

"Yeah?" she asked groggily.

"(L/N)!!" a loud, familiar, annoying voice called from the background.

"Hey, (l/n)-san are you coming to practice today? Kuro asked me to check," the pudding head asked her.

"Crrrrrrrumble," she said, about to swear, but altered her words. "I'll be there as soon as."#

"Well, uh, we're kinda outside your house," he said. At this the female sat up so suddenly her phone fell to the floor, almost deafening Kenma. The two volleyball players heard a lot of background swearing as the girl pulled clothes on and grabbed her phone.

"Hi?" she asked cautiously.

"Still here. We'll wait for you. Be quick," Kenma said and hung up.

A few minutes later, (y/n) walked out of the door, a piece of toast in hand.

"Hey guys," she greeted. Kuroo had his usual smirk on his face while Jenna held his game console.

"So you ready?" Kenma asked. She nodded, and the three of them started towards the school, Kuroo teasing his two friends, but neither responding to his witty remarks.

"You know Kuroo-san, sometimes I just wish some Tri-nitrotoluene (TNT) would appear underneath you," (y/n) said to him. He gasped as though hurt.

"(L/n), how could you? After all I've done for you?" he asked, hand on his chest. Kenma sighed in exasperation, walking ahead of the two.

"Why don't you just drop the honorifics to each other already," he said, effectively shutting the two up.


End file.
